Alfred Home Security Review
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This Old House Rating: 8.8/10
Alfred Home Security puts a different spin on home protection, utilizing an application downloaded on two separate phones to create a 24/7 home surveillance camera. Whether using it to protect your home or as a baby monitor, Alfred works just about anywhere you can place your phone.
Read on to learn more about how the Alfred Camera operates, and determine if this is the best home security solution for you.
Pros and Cons of Alfred Home Security
Pros
- Video recording and motion detection all from a mobile phone
- Two-way communication available
- Low-light filter helps camera see in the dark
Cons
- Low-quality footage
- Doesn’t offer traditional home security devices
- Spare phone or webcam necessary for use
What Is Alfred Home Security?
Alfred Home Security is a DIY security solution that establishes an IP camera system through the use of two computer, tablet, or mobile devices and the Alfred camera app. Typically, you’ll set up an old device to be the camera and your current device to be the viewer. Once you set up the old device in your home or designated area, you can live stream directly to your viewing device 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
With Alfred, you can set up as many camera devices as you want, as long as the device meets the company’s storage and internet standards. Any camera established within the Alfred network can be used as the viewer or camera.
Alfred Home Security Features
Here are some important Alfred security features:
- Motion Detection: Alfred users can activate motion detection within the app to receive notifications and record video when motion is detected.
- Two-Way Talk: Two-way talk with Alfred works like a walkie talkie. Users on either side of the home surveillance system can push and hold the microphone icon on their screen to talk.
- Low-Light Filter: The low-light filter from Alfred is a feature that allows you to capture shapes and outlines in the dark without additional equipment. To do this, the app emphasizes an object’s outline using an algorithm to create an artificial night vision for the camera.
- Siren: Alfred users can signal a siren from their device to ward off an intruder. The alarm is activated by tapping the siren icon located at the bottom of the viewing screen.
- Trust Circle: The trust circle feature gives neighbors, friends, and family shared access to your camera devices, so they can look after your home or pet while you’re gone.
Cost of Alfred Home Security
Alfred Home Security is free, but if you want additional features, you can purchase an Alfred Premium or Plus Plan.
Alfred Premium
Alfred Premium is a monthly subscription service that gives you access to exclusive features like ad removal and 30-day event storage. The service costs $3.99 per month or $29.99 for an annual plan.
Here’s everything included in Alfred Premium:
- HD viewing and recording—Alfred increased its video servers and infrastructure to support HD video and recording for a sharper image.
- Ad removal—To support their application, the free version of Alfred contains ads, which are removed with the purchase of an Alfred Premium plan.
- 30-day event storage—Event videos are recorded during motion detection. With Alfred Premium, you’re able to view these recorded videos for up to 30 days.
- Motion detection schedule—With this feature, you can schedule when motion detection videos are recorded.
- Zoom support—Alfred’s Zoom support allows you to access a Zoom call directly from the Alfred application.
For permanent ad removal, users can purchase Alfred Plus for a one-time cost of $16.99.
Alfred Home Security Customer Service
Alfred Home Security doesn’t have a customer service phone number, but users can pose questions via the online Alfred community forum.
Alfred Home Security Reviews
Alfred Camera isn’t accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and holds a D+ rating. The company’s rating was generated through the BBB’s understanding of how the company deals with customers and complaints. As a relatively new company with just over five years in the industry, Alfred Home Security doesn’t have any customer reviews.
Our Conclusion
We give Alfred Home Security an 8.8/10. With just two devices and an application, Alfred allows you to set up a security camera and monitor your home with live video at no charge. If you opt for Alfred Plus, you can store motion-activated videos for 30 days and increase the quality of your video.
Despite these features, Alfred isn’t a comprehensive home security system and is ineffective in providing your home with complete burglary or disaster prevention, having just one home security product to offer.
If you’re looking for a complete home security system, check out top-rated security companies like Abode, Vivint, and ADT.
Top-Rated Alternatives to Alfred Home Security
| Provider | Abode | Vivint | ADT |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Get a free quote |
View Plans |
View Plans |
View Plans |
|
Equipment prices |
$149.00–$1,249.00 |
$599.00 and up |
Bundled with contract |
|
Monitoring prices (per month) |
$45.99 |
$40.00 and up |
$36.99 and up |
|
Contract required |
No |
No |
36 months |
|
24/7 monitoring |
Available |
Available |
Included |
|
Professional installation |
Yes |
Pricing by quote |
$99.00 and up |
|
DIY installation |
No |
No |
No |
|
Mobile app access |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Motion detection |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Smart home compatibility |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Video surveillance |
Yes |
With camera purchase |
Available |
|
Video streaming capability |
Yes |
With camera purchase |
Available |
|
Money-back guarantee |
No |
Warranty only |
6 months (installation and monitoring fees) |
|
BBB rating |
A+ |
D+ |
A+ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Alfred app safe?
Alfred has established strict policies and barriers to protect against unauthorized viewing of your videos, including video encryption and randomized URLs
How much data does Alfred use?
Android devices require 24–25 millibytes (MB) of data and iOS devices require between 24– 32 MB.
Does Alfred need Wi-Fi?
No. Alfred can run on cellular connection.
Our Rating Methodology
We back up our home security recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider. Our research includes analyzing product specifications, reviewing service and plan information, speaking with customer service representatives, and analyzing customer reviews. We then score the provider against our review standards for system options, special features, installation options, connectivity and smart-home automation features, pricing, contract terms, warranty, usability, availability of a trial period, and trustworthiness to arrive at a final score out of 100.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.